Dr Jonathan Sheffield, chief executive of the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network, which published the statistics, said: “Patients always tell us how important it is for the NHS to take part in clinical research.

“I would like to congratulate the trust in Sheffield for increasing the number of studies they do and helping to bring research opportunities to patients.

“I would also like to say a big thank you to all the patients who took part in studies.

“Without their help we could not keep improving care, which is what we all want to do.”

More than half of the 390 NHS trusts across the country increased the number of clinical trials in their hospitals last year.